A little less than a month ago, the Jonas Brothers released their new song “Sucker.” Being the loyal Jonas Brothers fan I am, I listened to it right at midnight when it was released. I will admit that initially I was not a fan. There were parts of the song I liked and other parts that I felt were lacking. I liked the beginning: Nick Jonas’s familiar falsetto, the simple guitar, the catchy snapping in the background, but I wasn’t completely sold. When the song arrived at the chorus, I had trouble recognizing that it was even the chorus. It sounded a little like it could have been another verse. I guess I was expecting more, something like their old music.
There is drama surrounding the song because Portugal. The Man accused the Jonas Brothers of sampling their song “Feel It Still.” This drama started when Portugal. The Man tweeted to acknowledge the familiar sound between the chorus of “Please Mister Postman” by the Marvelettes to their song “Feel It Still.” This tweeted ended with a callout to the Jonas Brothers.
I do hear the slightest similarities, but they are still recognizably different. If you play the songs side by side or listen to Music Maestro Mashups’ mashup on YouTube, the differences are extremely apparent. The most notable difference is that “Feel It Still” is sung entirely in falsetto. Nick Jonas does sing in falsetto for parts of “Sucker,” but Joe does not. This changes the breathiness of “Feel It Still” to something that sounds more direct. Second, the baselines are different. “Feel It Still” relies on the baseline to give the song a groovy feel. Mixing this with a drumbeat that consists mainly of hi-hats gives the song an upbeat feeling that propels the song forward. “Sucker” is more chill and the song flows into each verse. The guitar line in “Sucker” is not apparent in “Feel It Still.” “Sucker” is much heavier on the guitar. In the mashup, “Sucker” is sped up to match the speed of “Feel It Still” and it sounds off. I definitely do not agree with Portugal. The Man’s accusation that the Jonas Brothers stole their song.
That being said, I thought the music video was great! I love that the video included their significant others! My one complaint, however, is that Kevin and his wife did not get much screen time in the video. Kevin may not be the most popular Jonas Brother, but he is still in the band and deserves attention! Kevin’s shining moment seems to be the one shot when he’s whistling. However, Priyanka Chopra did get a lot of screen time. I was not upset by this decision though because Priyanka Chopra is an absolute queen and I loved her outfits in the video!
I’m excited that the Jonas Brothers are back and I can’t wait for more music!